First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.) linebacker Reggie Northrup has taken unofficial visits to Florida State before, but nothing like what he experienced this weekend during his official visit. Just a month ago, the 'Noles were a team trying to jump in the mix of teams he was considering. But his official might have changed everything.

"It was a great visit. FSU showed me a lot of great things on the visit and I got a much better understanding in what they are all about," said Northrup.

Northrup's host this weekend was Karlos Williams. Apparently the pair hit it off quite well.

"He is funny, and a pretty crazy guy. We had a lot of fun this weekend with Karlos cracking jokes a lot through the visit," he said. "Karlos told me exactly how it's going to be. It's not going to be some cake walk just because you were a top player out of high school. He went into detail about classes, school and what is expected of you at Florida State the moment you arrive there."

In addition to the straightforward talk from Williams, there were several other things that stood out for this Florida State visit. But did anything catch him by surprise?

"I've been to FSU three times, but there were things that I just haven't seen like I did on this visit. I got a better understanding of the academics, football program and got more in-depth time with the coaches," said Northrup. "I wouldn't say it was a surprise, but just seeing how much the coaches love their players is evident when you are there."

Northrup was especially impressed with how the players interacted with the coaches and how close everyone was. That showed again on Saturday when he got to see more of that at Head coach Jimbo Fisher's house.

"We went to Coach Fisher's house for dinner and desert. It was awesome that Coach Fisher would have us over like that to his house, meet his family and kids," he said. "I know Karlos said he wanted to beat Trey Fisher (Jimbo's oldes son) in NCAA 2012 because Trey beat the brakes off of him last time. Karlos beat him bad this time though."

Northrup also liked the time he had with the coaches and players during the position meetings. It gave him a chance to see what FSU linebacker coach Greg Hudson likes to run.

"Coach Hudson broke it down about what he expects from his players. Techniques that they work on and how they utilize that stuff," he noted. "Coach Hudson then went into detail about being in position to make plays in the game."

Following the team meetings, Northrup also got some one-on-one time with Jimbo Fisher. That meeting was certainly memorable as well.

"I got a chance to put on the jersey in the locker room so I took a few pictures of that. That was pretty cool and then getting to talk with Coach Fisher was great," he explained. "Coach Fisher told me that not only do they want me but they need me, so that impressed me a lot," Northrup said. "The meeting showed me how selective they are with the guys they look at for each position. It let me know where I stand."

So where do things actually stand for Northrup after his official visit to Florida State?

"I had a great time and the visit for FSU helped a lot. The plan now is to take my official visit to Ohio State next weekend and then make a final decision on National signing day between FSU, Miami, Arkansas, North Carolina and Ohio State," said Northrup.